PC-Gamer
Latest
"Cliffs Notes" version of the June PC Gamer WAR coverage
Over at the Waaagh! Warhammer Online blog, Syp has reported back from his recent time spent with a copy of June's PC Gamer at a doctor's waiting room (and we agree with him, coolest doctor ever). The June issue featured a whole mess of Warhammer related content, including WAR coverage, and Syp has been good enough to condense this down into note form or us to peruse.The result is a quick but worthwhile read, and might give you an idea of whether you'd like to pick up the mag to check out the articles in full. Some of the topics covered are: the original RvR system versus what is in game now, the guild UI, a races "role call", and some information about Warhammer in general.
J Allen Brack: EverQuest is "the big foundation" of World of Warcraft
Blizzard Producer J. Allan Brack also talked in the latest issue of PC Gamer about Wrath of the Lich King, and while he doesn't drop any major bombs, he does speak pretty candidly about what Blizzard is doing right and wrong with content, and what they hope to achieve from World PvP in the future.Perhaps most surprisingly, he gives away just how closely Blizzard is watching their competitors in the MMO world to see what's worked and what hasn't -- on the issue of updating the graphical engine and just general influences, Brack has no compunctions about citing EverQuest as a huge influence on World of Warcraft, even going so far as to call it "the big foundation" of the game Blizzard made. He also notes that Blizzard pays a lot of attention to their own game as well -- they track how fast players are going through content, and how players do it. He specifically says that Lake Wintergrasp PvP will work like the Spirit Towers in Auchindouin, in that the battle will go down at a certain time, so everyone knows when to get to work and fight there. Battlegrounds and arenas aren't being neglected, either -- there'll likely be "at least" one of each added to the game with the expansion.Finally, he also agrees that "level separation" (the difference between the characters you've got and your friends who just joined up at level 1) is a problem that Blizzard is keeping an eye on, and while he doesn't mention any solutions yet, he says they'll change it if they feel they have to. Sounds like Brack and his team are well on their way to hammering out the expansion.
What MMO Magazine launches
It takes guts to name your MMO-based magazine What MMO. You can imagine for yourself the raft of jokes that will inevitably be unleashed on this new magazine, which will be bundled with PC Gamer, PC Zone, and Windows Vista The Official Magazine. If you'd prefer not to purchase one of these fine publications just to check it out, you can preview the issue by checking out its digital version. It's a decent little mag, featuring spreads on Age of Conan, Jumpgate: Evolution, and smaller stories for most of the other major MMOs available. Even so, we'll get the jokes started by saying "What MMO were they thinking?"[Source]
PC Gamer offers exclusive Age of Conan item
Readers of PC Gamer get a special gift in the July issue (currently on the stands): an exclusive Age of Conan item called the Totem of Origins, which lets the player teleport back to their home city once every 24 hours. This will probably make the July 2008 issue the best-selling issue of the year.How do you feel about in-game items being distributed this way? Isn't it just a form of microtransactions? Would you like to see Age of Conan adopt an item mall scheme?[Thanks, Yaisha!]
Warhammer 40k MMO details emerge from cover
PC Gamer drops a few new details on the in-development Warhammer 40,000 MMO that was announced in March 2007. This MMO will play more like an RPG than an FPS, even though there will be extensive gunplay elements, such as flanking, suppressive fire, and cover. Additionally, fans of the franchise will be happy to know that their favorite race, no matter what that might be, will find a home in-game. "All of the races important to Warhammer 40,000 lore (not to mention the fans) will be represented", says creative director Joe Madureira, formerly of Marvel Comics. He adds that there will be "Tons of stuff hanging off your character, weapons, scrolls ... we are going to have the coolest looking characters of any MMO, ever. Once we begin releasing images, feel free to call me on that." That's tempting fate, like saying 'At least it's not raining'. But given that it sounds as though THQ's taking their time in developing this game, it could very well be true. We'll keep up to date with further news as it arises.[Via computerandvideogames]
PC Gamer previews Age of Conan
PC Gamer (part of the CVG network) has just released their preview of Funcom's Age of Conan: Hyborean Adventures. It is packed full of tasty observations, screenshots, and interesting details about this eagerly anticipated MMO. While we knew some parts of it already (the conversational choices with NPCs affecting your standing with them) other parts were interesting to hear about. We're most interested in the work of the 8 dedicated quest-writers, working hard to fulfill the promise of staying true to the books that we've heard so much about. Apparently they've cranked out 800 quests for launch! Someone order these guys a pizza and a frosty adult beverage for writing approximately 100 quests a piece -- and for trying to do it without using the "kill x things" mechanic. When you couple this with the other great write-ups we've seen and the statement at the very end: "The open beta starts any moment now" we can honestly say we're more than ready to go Barbarian! Anytime you want to hook us up with some of that sweet, sweet beta love Funcom, we'll be here.
Bethesda mum about Oblivion expansion
Call it a formality, but Bethesda refuses to confirm Shivering Isles, Oblivion's first full-length expansion. But the forthcoming content is no myth. After all, Bethesda supplied the details for the scoops that were bought and published by PCZone and PC Gamer, two UK mags. In fact, another Shivering Isles feature will appear in the March issue of Games for Windows (due Feb. 6 on newsstands).This is just the business of embargoes, folks. Once Games for Windows has had its window of opportunity to sell the "exclusive" content, Bethesda will open right up.
Rumor: Gears of War PC-bound?
The upcoming issue of PC Gamer has an interesting concept design for a Games for Windows display that clearly shows multiple Gears of War PC boxes (page 28 of their Holiday Issue). Is this a nudge and a wink of what's to come? Given the similarity of design architecture between Xbox 360 and Windows gaming, it's a no-brainer that Microsoft would seek to put its successful gunslinger Gears of War on every platform it has available. It would be a good moneymaker and (if Halo 2 is any indication) another incentive for gamers to upgrade to Windows Vista. However, IGN has been told by Microsoft that there no plans to announce a Gears of War PC version in the near future.
PC Gamer lures PS3 buyer with $7500 gaming rig
What would it take for you to give up your shot at a PS3? I don't just mean your shot at getting a system on launch day... I mean giving up your right to ever own Sony's newest system? For one gamer waiting outside the Sony Metreon in San Francisco, the price of loyalty was a $7,500 PC gaming rig.In an effort to "prove that the PC is, and always shall be, the finest gaming platform available to man," PC Gamer and computer maker Falcon Northwest teamed up to lure away prospective PS3 purchasers with a top-of-the-line PC complete with 30" LCD monitor and Nvidia 8800 GTX graphics card. The catch? To get the system, you have to sign a notarized, legally-binding contract certifying that you will never, ever, buy a PS3.Judging by the photo gallery of the night's events, PC Gamer editor Greg Vederman had no trouble finding willing participants for the offer, but a gamer identified only as "Neal" was the randomly-chosen winner. Vederman said he will be checking in on Neal "several times a year to make sure he keeps his end of the deal," an arrangement we're sure will lead to frantic "quick, hide the PS3" escapades when the PC Gamer van approaches.[Thanks Norman]
Mass Effect rumored for the PC
An article scan from the latest PC Gamer UK reveals that BioWare's Mass Effect could be heading to the PC. This is most welcome news for Windows gamers, but hardly surprising when you consider the Canadian developer's previous two Xbox titles followed the same path. Knights of the Old Republic started out as an Xbox exclusive, and its PC conversion followed four months later. Also, a special edition PC port of Jade Empire was announced at E3 and will ship in January. Mass Effect doesn't arrive on the Xbox 360 until Q2, so we probably wouldn't see the rumored PC release until late next year. We'll let you know if we hear any confirmation details.[Thanks to the readers who sent this in!]
Battlefield 2142 scans of PC Gamer cover story leaked
The Battlefield 2142 hoopla is starting to look more and more real as scans of the PC Gamer issue in question have surfaced online with BF 2142 featured as the magazine's May cover story. Digg contributor Iced_Eagle has pointed us to an 8.5MB archive of images from the mag, with 9 pages concerned with 2142 and 2 pages having to do with Half-Life 2: Episode 1. If you're interested in knowing "where your unstoppable 20-foot Mech is," then you'd best get to that reading online or off ASAP. For those still skeptical of any gaming news outlet coming out with such a story in the general vicinity of April Fools' Day, keep in mind that the game appears to not only be the magazine's cover story, but that its coverage also fills up all those pages of print mentioned earlier. EGM merely dedicated a single page with a brief line in the table of contents to its Apple iGame prank this year, so this would seem like a lot of effort on PC Gamer or some extremely dedicated Photoshopper's part to fool the gaming public. Will this fall prove to be the point when the BF franchise finally frags in the future? At this point, it would certainly seem so. Read on for further details about the game; the cover pic links to the scans.
Battlefield 2142 allegedly confirmed by PC Gamer [Update1]
According to digg, this video trailer from the May 2006 issue of PC Gamer confirms the existence of Battlefield 2142 and its pending release this fall.Feel free to watch those warring mechs, but we'll hold off judgment until we hear the official word from EA/DICE. Do you believe a future ice age will precipitate a global war over arable land? You've been warned.[Update: Scans of the mag have surfaced online. Thanks, Iced_Eagle!]See also: Battlefield 2142 hinted at by Digital Illusions producer EA gobbles up the rest of Battlefield developer DICE [Thanks, Shaved Moose and Einhanderkiller; via digg]
East meets West: PC Gamer's trip to Korea
Jim Rossignol, from UK magazine PC Gamer, took a trip to South Korea last year and this account of the gaming culture there takes a look at everything from Starcraft superstars to gaming television and MMO addicts. A culture that revolves primarily around PC gaming, playing games is a very social activity in Korea, and high-profile gamers become celebrities with huge fan clubs. It's not without its problems, though: with many poor quality games, strict censorship and licencing problems, gamers don't have as much freedom to choose as they might like. It's very different to how we work in the West, although some aspects of our culture are converging. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to live in a gamer's utopia, where everyone understands your passion, the answer's quite simple: move to Korea.
